Fishermen to Rally in D.C.

Anglers, charter captains, commercial fishermen and politicians will all meet up on March 21 in Washington, D.C. to take part in the Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally, the second gathering of anglers in D.C. The rally is being organized by several organizations, including the Recreational Fishing Alliance and Keep Fishermen Fishing. The main thrust of the gathering is to incorporate management flexibility into the federal fishery management process and to support the economic motor that fishing fuels. Supporting jobs relating to fishing will be a big part of the discussion at the rally, which expects to gather 5,000 or more people.

Leaders from both the recreational and commercial fishing industries organized the rally to “unite under one shared message, to reform Magnuson now.”

Magnuson refers to the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Management Act, which is the main legislation used to manage fisheries in the United States. The groups organizing the rally believe that a recent reauthorization of Magnuson helped remove most of the abilities for regional fisheries councils to circumvent rigid statutory requirements based on arbitrary schedules, incomplete data and often random definitions.

Several senators and representatives will be speaking at the rally as well as fishermen of all walks. For more information, visit www.keepfishermenfishing.com.

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